Ambush

Five Great Soul Hooking Envoys. Heaven, Earth, Human, Demon, and Hungry Ghost, plus Envoy Asura—they constituted the strongest fighting forces of the entire Luohun Valley. And of course, there was also the lord of the forbidden land himself. Among them, the Heavenly Soul Envoy was the strongest, reputedly wielding about twenty-seven Daos of power. Luohun Valley was inherently slightly weaker than other forbidden lands, meaning that several of its envoys did not possess power reaching twenty-eight Daos like Mingtu. Each additional Dao of power made one markedly stronger. Envoy Asura possessed twenty-six Daos of power, which was by no means weak, putting him on par with the Earthly and Demon Envoys. The Hungry Ghost Envoy and Human Soul Envoy were the weakest, having just reached twenty-five Daos of power. Even so, they were top-tier beings, almost all powerhouses from the Heaven-Opening Era. As for Su Yu's side, there were four Great Emperors. Emperor Mingtu was the strongest at twenty-eight Daos, while the remaining three were formidable as well—two at twenty-six Daos and one at twenty-seven Daos. King Wu, on the other hand, had only just recovered to twenty-five Daos of power and was actually the weakest among them at this moment. Right then, Envoy Asura burst into hearty laughter. He grabbed Su Yu and hurled him toward the Heavenly Soul Envoy, roaring with laughter, "Big Brother Heavenly Soul, Black Tomb is yours! This bastard is the one I wanted to kill the most, but since you're the eldest brother, you get the honor!" The Heavenly Soul Envoy was an elderly man. Hearing this, he chuckled mildly. "Oh, you..." There was no need to squabble over such a thing, nor did he particularly care. But since Asura had delivered him over, he said nothing more. Asura continued tossing people. He grabbed Mingtu and hurled him over toward the Earthly Soul Envoy, chuckling, "This one's for you! He's not weak either!" The Earthly Soul Envoy caught his prisoner and raised an eyebrow slightly. Mingtu's aura was somewhat chaotic, giving the distinct impression of grievous injury, and he radiated a faint, nearly imperceptible trace of death qi, as if on the verge of breathing his last. Beaten by Asura? It made sense; his body indeed carried remnants of Asura's aura. Envoy Asura kept tossing! The remaining three Great Emperors were flung to the other three envoys. King Wu was left as the weakest, and Envoy Asura looked at him with a grin. "I'll handle this one!" King Wu cursed under his breath. *Who are you looking down on? In my prime, I could take on five of you at once!* Of course, that was easier said than done. While the gap between thirty-one Daos and twenty-five-plus Daos existed, it wasn't overwhelmingly vast; fighting five at once would be quite a stretch. But once he truly reached thirty-two Daos, doing so would be child's play! At this moment, Envoy Asura was also fraught with tension. Having boarded this pirate ship, survival was the top priority! He had no other choice. *Brothers, don't blame me. I didn't want this either.* ... Meanwhile, the Heavenly Soul Envoy took hold of Su Yu. Seeing the harsh chill in Su Yu's eyes, he raised an eyebrow slightly. "Unreconciled? If you aren't reconciled to your fate, you shouldn't have provoked a forbidden land!" Black Tomb, the Master of Mount Liufang. Backing himself against Mount Tianqiong, he had looked down on everyone. Now, look how he had fallen! He had certainly stirred up quite a commotion at the City of Light. But had he never considered that a forbidden land was eternal, everlasting and indestructible? Aside from the one destroyed by the Lord of Dead Spirits in the past, none had ever fallen! Su Yu gritted his teeth in feigned fury. "You want to kill me? You're not worthy! Have the Valley Lord of Luohun Valley come do it!" "..." The Heavenly Soul Envoy chuckled. "You don't qualify!" *What wishful thinking!* *Do you think you're worthy? An eighteen-Dao pipsqueak expects the Valley Lord to execute you in person?* Among the crowd, the Human Soul Envoy said impatiently, "Asura, can we execute them already?" Making such a grand spectacle was like putting on a monkey show for onlookers! What was the point? Around them, a sizable crowd of rogue cultivators had gathered—nearly three to four hundred in total. Granted, not all were top experts; some had been brought along by powerhouses. Even so, there were over a hundred Rulers of Rules, including five or six of the first rank. Envoy Asura, however, burst into laughter and sent a voice transmission to the other envoys: *What's the rush! We have to shock and deter these rogue cultivators!* With that, he glanced around at the onlookers and spoke in a chilling voice, "Come closer, all of you! See for yourselves what it looks like when their Great Daos shatter! Witness their despair before death, lest some of you fail to recognize what's good for you!" The gathered rogue cultivators exchanged glances. Was this necessary? Though reluctant to draw near, with Envoy Asura fixing his gaze on them, none dared act recklessly. They had no choice but to edge closer step by step. Asura laughed with wild arrogance. "Displaying the majesty of a forbidden land for you, and you're reluctant? Come closer! Getting splashed with their blood will bring you good fortune!" *You call getting drenched in blood 'good fortune'?* Some were displeased, while others seized the chance to flatter him, hurriedly stepping forward. "Many thanks, my lord! We've never witnessed the execution of experts above the sixteenth Dao. This truly is our good fortune... When the rules dissipate, who knows if we might even be qualified to absorb a tiny wisp..." At these words, the rogue cultivators on the perimeter felt their hearts stir. That was right—could they? These were all top-tier powerhouses! Instantly, the crowd grew restless with eagerness. Asura threw his head back and laughed. "Of course! A forbidden land doesn't care about such scraps. Step forward! Let their blood splash on you, and absorb some rule power while you're at it!" This time, the crowd hesitated no longer. Slaying six experts above the sixteenth Dao—what an immense opportunity! The other Soul Hooking Envoys were left speechless. The Human Soul Envoy sent a dissatisfied transmission to the others: *This guy only knows how to show off. If anyone is going to absorb their rule power, wouldn't it be better kept among ourselves? Why cheapen it for rogue cultivators?* *He caught them; let him deal with them as he likes!* As the Soul Hooking Envoys conferred among themselves, the captives held beside them were already struggling to contain their readiness. If this dragged on, an abnormality might be detected. Were they not going to strike? Su Yu, however, was constantly calculating. He assessed the distance between himself and the Valley Lord, determining whether the man could swiftly reinforce them. At this tier, even launching an ambush, instantly killing a powerhouse was exceedingly difficult. Inflicting severe wounds in a single strike was feasible, but an outright kill was almost impossible! *Envoy Asura, King Wu, act as the opportunity presents itself!* Su Yu sent a secret transmission. The Heavenly Soul Envoy seemed to sense something and looked down at Su Yu. Was he transmitting his voice? Just as he tilted his head down, Su Yu's arm suddenly swung upward. At that exact instant, the others received the signal—strike! Across countless years, few had ever dared attack a forbidden land. The instances could be counted on one hand, and because every attempt had ended in failure, no one had dared oppose a forbidden land since. Yet at this very moment, right as the rogue cultivators crowded closer, Su Yu and his companions struck! The Heavenly Soul Envoy had only just sensed something amiss when he was engulfed by an overwhelmingly vast pressure of a heaven and earth. In that fraction of a second, it felt as though the Valley Lord himself were flying into a rage! It was terrifyingly powerful! His expression shifted drastically. How could this be? Someone was attacking them at the gates of their own forbidden land! "Pre—" Before the word 'presumptuous' could leave his lips, an expert's ingrained instinct drove him to strike out, unleashing a blow meant to tear the heavens and earth apart. Yet at that same moment, Su Yu's power of thirty-one Daos erupted with boundless might. Forming a blade with his hand, Su Yu slashed forward in an instant! Blade qi pierced straight through the sky! It was overwhelmingly tyrannical! ... At that very moment, the Valley Lord of Luohun Valley, who had still been watching Sword Sovereign from afar, experienced a sudden shift in expression. In the next breath, fury surged through him. "Insolent!" Someone actually dared ambush his subordinates! Where had such madmen come from? He could no longer spare attention for Sword Sovereign. Tearing through the void, he hurtled toward Su Yu's group at an unfathomable speed, appearing near them in the blink of an eye. His movement was unimaginably swift! However, Su Yu was well aware of the terrifying power of thirty-two Daos. Even if he hadn't known, how could King Wu, who had clashed with such beings for years, not know? Striking outside rather than charging inside was precisely because they factored in the opponent's sheer strength and feared running out of time. Thus, the moment the Valley Lord stepped across the void, Su Yu's blade struck down with blinding speed! A single slash fell! The blow split open the dark void, carving out a brilliantly luminous rift whose blade light illuminated the entire realm! "Die!" "No—!" The Heavenly Soul Envoy was paralyzed with terror. Who was this? The Lord of the Saber Domain? This strike was far too powerful! Su Yu's current strength was monstrous. He was not merely one Dao higher than his foe; he possessed a full four Daos of power over him. Striking down in a sudden ambush, Su Yu left the strongest of the six envoys with virtually no time to react. With a deafening boom, the Heavenly Soul Envoy's physical body was completely obliterated by the slash! "Descend!" With a thunderous roar, the heaven and earth manifested. Hundreds of experts under Su Yu's banner charged forth, surging toward the rogue cultivators! Rumble! Explosions echoed incessantly. Before the rogue cultivators could comprehend what was happening, they were routed across the board in the span of a single breath. *Boom!* In several other directions, overwhelmingly potent death qi erupted in unison. The Valley Lord bellowed in fury, "Dead Spirit Hell!" Damn it all! He recognized it instantly: these were powerhouses from Dead Spirit Hell. All four Great Emperors had come! Bastards! At that instant, having blown apart the Heavenly Soul Envoy's body, Su Yu snatched at the void. A Great Dao struggled violently within his grasp, but Su Yu seized it with unyielding force. Wearing a ruthless expression, he forcibly swallowed the Great Dao directly into his heaven and earth! The world trembled violently! Su Yu paid it no heed. In the next instant, he breached the void and charged straight at the Valley Lord! He had to intercept him! He would tie him down, wait for the others to slay the remaining formidable foes and wipe out Luohun Valley, force them to integrate into his heaven and earth to bolster its strength, and then find a way to slay the Valley Lord! ... Su Yu manifested in an instant. *Boom!* The moment he appeared, an earth-shaking wave of mental energy erupted. With a thunderous crash, Su Yu was sent flying backward, blood leaking from all seven facial orifices! Opposite him, the Valley Lord's true form emerged. He appeared as a middle-aged scholar with a pale complexion, looking like someone who rarely saw the light of day. Yet right now, he was engulfed in boundless rage, an overwhelming mental shockwave surging from his figure. "You are courting death!" Brimming with endless fury, he roared, "In all the myriad ages, this is the very first time a reckless fool like you has dared assault a forbidden land!" In the distance, sounds of slaughter echoed from every direction. The entire Luohun Valley was alerted. Countless experts poured out from within, and the Valley Lord barked coldly, "Execute them!" Within the valley, there were still twenty to thirty first-rank powerhouses! Right now, the Valley Lord was completely enraged that someone had actually dared target him. As he spoke, another colossal mental wave erupted. With a roar, Su Yu, having barely recovered for an instant, felt his sea of will fracture under the violent impact! Yet since Su Yu had dared to come, he naturally possessed his own methods! In an instant, his heaven and earth wrapped around him, and his sea of will diffused into the world itself! *I am the spirit of this heaven and earth!* The sea of will became the spirit, while the physical body became the world. Instantly, the mental shockwave was dispersed! The Valley Lord's expression shifted slightly. Looking at Su Yu and scanning the surroundings, he said coldly, "The Myriad Laws Domain? Or... a heaven and earth?" At his level, he immediately discerned the anomaly. He sensed that the opponent sought to suppress him, but he merely sneered. "I am one with the Dao; the Great Dao and I are unified. Suppression? Impossible!" *I am the Dao, and the Dao is me. How can you suppress me?* He had already partially detached himself from the River of Time! It was a form of unity between spirit and flesh, body and Dao! He walked toward Su Yu step by step, inwardly astonished. An expert of thirty-one Daos, and seemingly a Heaven-Opener—why had he never seen him before? Where had he come from? "You don't seem to belong within the gate... Could you have come from... outside?" He wasn't entirely certain. Right now, surging power swept across the heaven and earth, overturning the realm and transforming it into an ocean resembling a vast sea of will. The Valley Lord closed his eyes, and his figure vanished abruptly. An instant later, he reappeared like a crashing wave, striking the world with an earth-shattering boom! "Integrating the sea of will into the heaven and earth? Becoming its spirit? A physical heaven and earth?" Cold words spilled from his lips, dripping with murderous intent—monstrous, unbridled intent. How exceedingly bold! Did this brat think he couldn't kill him? Laughable! At this point, he no longer cared whether the boy came from inside or outside the gate! "You underestimate me! Descend!" *Boom!* A tremendous roar resounded. Before Su Yu's somewhat shaken gaze, the colossal Luohun Valley in the distance shrank in an instant. Descending from the heavens with matchless might, it crashed down! *Rumble!* The massive valley slammed directly against Su Yu's heaven and earth. Su Yu's body shook violently, and he coughed up a mouthful of blood, dyeing the sky crimson! Luohun Valley swiftly compressed into a treasure resembling an inkstone, settling into the Valley Lord's palm. Wearing a cold smirk, he held the inkstone and said softly, "Since you know forbidden lands are powerful, do you know why they are so formidable? Did you truly believe your mere thirty-one Daos of power were enough to duel me?" The inkstone in his grasp emanated an immensely terrifying aura. Su Yu's figure coalesced, looking back at him with a grim expression. Was this what a forbidden land truly was? It was said that some forbidden lands were treasures, some were the manifestation of a Great Dao, and others were incomplete heavens. Powerhouses here could not open a complete heaven and earth, but figures like Fa, in the absence of the Lord of Time back then, had forged their own Myriad Laws Domain. They were extraordinarily powerful! Unable to advance further, these forbidden land lords had channeled all their efforts into cultivating their domains, which were said to even be capable of traveling through the Heavenly Gate! Su Yu's expression grew solemn, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. Since opening his heaven, this was the first time he had encountered such a terrifying opponent—one whose opening exchange had nearly overwhelmed his entire world! The lord of a forbidden land was formidable indeed! Su Yu maintained his silence. Right at that moment, a blood-curdling shriek pierced the air. "Ahhh!" A shrill scream rang out as Mingtu, coordinating with Envoy Asura and King Wu, struck in unison to execute the Earthly Soul Envoy the moment Su Yu made contact with the Valley Lord! The Valley Lord's expression darkened with rage. Two envoys dead! Envoy Asura had betrayed them! If this continued, the remaining three envoys would soon fall. Glaring furiously at Su Yu, he realized that taking this opponent down in short order would be difficult, but his subordinates could not hold out for that long. In that split second, he unleashed a shrill roar. "Hurry!" *Buzz!* The void shattered as a peculiar ripple pierced through heaven and earth, causing the weaker bystanders to bleed from their facial orifices! Simultaneously, outside the valley canyon, a towering aura surged upward as a booming voice rolled across the realm: "Dear brother, who dares trouble you?" The Lord of the Soul Domain! The Lord of Dead Spirits had warned Su Yu about this earlier. The Valley Lord of Luohun Valley had a younger brother—the legendary Lord of the Soul Domain. Rumor had it that he had not reached thirty-two Daos, standing at around thirty Daos instead, but he possessed a peculiar knack: descending and possessing others! ... At the same exact time, disturbances rippled in all directions. At Mount Yongsheng, Fa raised an eyebrow slightly. Who dared attack Luohun Valley? Just as he was about to investigate, a burst of booming laughter reached his ears: "Hahaha! My people have gone to attack Luohun Valley! Fa, why haven't you rushed over to reinforce them?" Fa immediately dismissed the idea. *To hell with that! If they were truly your people, they would have attacked me first. You just want me to leave so you can attack Mount Yongsheng, don't you?* Though he possessed the ability to shift his domain, doing so right now was exceedingly difficult because someone was deliberately hindering him. "Fa, hand over Wen Yu at once! Otherwise, once my people take Luohun Valley, they'll come straight to slay you!" Fa completely ignored him. *Your people? You mean King Wu? Ridiculous! If King Wu could conquer Luohun Valley, the forbidden lands would be a joke. Besides, it seems the Lord of the Soul Domain has already arrived. Even if they truly take Luohun Valley, what does that have to do with me?* However... with death qi surging to the skies, it seemed forces from Dead Spirit Hell had intervened. Fa frowned slightly. Had the Lord of Dead Spirits grown restless? Sure enough, in the next instant, his suspicions were confirmed: it was indeed the work of Dead Spirit Hell! In the east, the Lord of Dead Spirits let out a cold sneer. Boundless death qi suddenly engulfed the sky as his booming voice resonated across heaven and earth: "It's best you don't meddle! Why bother?" *Boom!* A torrential wave of death qi, coupled with the power of his world, swept outward in all directions, throwing the fabric of heaven and earth into chaos. The faintly emerging auras of several powerhouses were instantly smothered as the void itself was churned into disarray by him! "Courting death!" cold snarls rang out, but for the moment, none could do anything to him. With teleportation disrupted, their true bodies would have to rush over in person—and that would take time! ... At Mount Tianqiong, the Lord of Mount Tianqiong, who was fiddling with a large seal, frowned slightly. Was Sword Sovereign allied with these people? Had Jian Kong chosen to side with this faction—the faction from Dead Spirit Hell? "What happened?" the Human Sovereign's curious voice sounded in his ear. The Lord of Mount Tianqiong replied indifferently, "Someone is attacking Luohun Valley. Amusing, isn't it? Care to join the fun?" "Forget it... Who's being so fierce? My two brothers?" "No... It's a newcomer..." As he spoke, a third eye opened between his brows, peering across the distance with a hint of perplexity. "The four Great Emperors of Dead Spirit Hell... and... is that the power of a heaven and earth?" Was that the heaven and earth power of Dead Spirit Hell, or did it belong to this newcomer? "What level of strength?" the Human Sovereign inquired. "Thirty-one Daos of power!" "Oh!" The Human Sovereign stopped caring. It had nothing to do with Su Yu. When Su Yu had entered, he possessed a mere twenty Daos. He had only been gone for six months—which was barely two months inside the gate. Advancing eleven Daos in two months, one Dao every five days? What a joke! At Su Yu's level, no matter how monstrous his talent, that was simply impossible. Fighting broke out inside the gate? The Human Sovereign gloated, "Quite a spectacle! Why don't you go take a look and give me a live commentary?" "Hmph! I couldn't care less about such meddling!" Seeing that the Human Sovereign genuinely didn't seem to care, the Lord of Mount Tianqiong let the matter rest after a moment's thought. It likely had nothing to do with this fellow. And indeed, how could it? The Human Sovereign didn't dwell on it either; so long as it wasn't Su Yu, it didn't matter. Still, with such a massive disturbance underway, Su Yu might try to join in on the commotion, so caution was still warranted! ... Outside Luohun Valley, the grand battle raged. The Valley Lord had shamelessly summoned his brother. Su Yu, however, maintained an unflinching countenance, maneuvering around his perimeter as the power of the Great Dao swept through the world, striking out in an instant. *Boom!* Another potent wave of mental energy surged forth, battering the surroundings. "Domain Manifestation!" A cold cry rang out. In the next breath, Su Yu experienced a momentary daze. When clarity returned, he found himself standing atop a vast ocean, with the Valley Lord suspended in the void opposite him. "Ignorant fool!" the Valley Lord sneered. "Did you think taking a Dao into your body made you equivalent to this?" In an instant, Su Yu felt as though he had been separated from his own heaven and earth and drawn into the Valley Lord's realm—not a complete heaven, but a Great Dao domain! Before Su Yu could react, *squelch!* The opponent materialized in a flash, thrusting a sword that pierced deep, inflicting agonizing pain upon Su Yu's form! Su Yu looked down at his chest. A short sword had driven deep into his heart, yet no blood flowed; only a faint, fluid-like substance trickled out. Mental will! Su Yu retreated swiftly, but the Valley Lord pressed forward relentlessly with an icy gaze. "Freeze!" Su Yu felt as though he were instantly immobilized. *Squelch!* Another sword struck. Su Yu grunted, attempting to draw upon the power of his heaven and earth, only to find he could not channel it! His expression shifted slightly. The Valley Lord said coldly, "Trying to channel your heaven and earth power? What wishful thinking. Right now, you are within my mental domain. Both you and I are manifestations of mental will—a duel of will and psyche! Did you truly think I was an idle loafer? You have quite the nerve!" "Mental will?" Su Yu realized the nature of the space in an instant. The next moment, his injuries vanished completely, and with a low grunt, the binding shattered! The Valley Lord was taken aback. "You mastered it that quickly?" Su Yu understood now! A pocket dimension—or rather, a mental space. He had experienced this countless times! It was no different from the dreams of his youth where he was killed repeatedly, only far more potent now! How could Su Yu not understand this? "Heaven and Earth Suppression!" An illusory world manifested in an instant, crashing down upon his foe with a thunderous rumble! "Fire of Civilization, ignite!" *Boom!* Flames erupted across the ocean. The Valley Lord quickly smothered the blaze, surprised. "I hadn't expected you to be well-versed in this path!" Ordinary cultivators, no matter how miraculous their techniques, required an adaptation period upon entering such a domain—and that period was more than enough for him to dispose of them. Yet this man had grasped it the instant he arrived! It defied expectations. Clearly, this was not his first time experiencing such a thing, which foiled the Valley Lord's plan for a swift victory. He frowned; this was going to be troublesome! At that very moment, another agonizing scream echoed from outside! The third envoy had been slain! The Valley Lord's brow furrowed tightly. Soon, with a cold snort, he thrust a sword toward Su Yu, and as he did, ten million blades materialized alongside it! Su Yu's mental energy roiled. *Boom!* Countless books appeared, coalescing into the civilization chronicle. Innumerable duplicates of Su Yu manifested, charging forward continuously—blades against men! A book also appeared in Su Yu's hands. He turned a page, and a duplicate emerged; turned another, and another materialized... Each iteration of Su Yu commanded different Dao powers, charging rapidly at the opponent! The Valley Lord cursed silently. *This bastard has so many tricks here; he's even harder to deal with than outside, damn it!* The offensive techniques here relied on illusions and projections, which would prove troublesome if the opponent didn't understand them. But clearly, this man understood them thoroughly—and was remarkably proficient at them, having never even displayed such tricks outside! He had truly encountered a fearsome adversary! The Valley Lord's expression turned grim. Damn it all, against a powerhouse of thirty-one Daos, his domain proved of little use because the opponent was intimately familiar with this mode of combat! "Lock!" With a low bark, pressure converged from all directions to lock onto Su Yu, incomparably powerful! The Great Dao trembled. Suddenly, the sky cracked open, and countless chaotic waters from the River of Time poured down. Yet rather than being alarmed, Su Yu was delighted. In an instant, the deluge did not harm him; instead, it transformed into surges of Great Dao power that he converted on the spot and turned back against his foe! The Valley Lord's face twisted again, and he couldn't help but curse out loud. How did this guy know everything? Su Yu ignored him. As a Heaven-Opener, if he lacked versatility, could he still call himself a Heaven-Opener? Right then, yet another shriek rang out from beyond! The fourth! Out of the five Soul Hooking Envoys, four had been slain in the blink of an eye! The Valley Lord could endure it no longer. With a deafening crash, the soul domain shattered, and both he and Su Yu vanished simultaneously! Fighting Su Yu here seemed even more difficult! ... Su Yu reappeared, finding himself back within his own heaven and earth! Across from him, the Valley Lord's face was ashen. The miniature Luohun Valley in his hand erupted with dazzling radiance, hurtling toward Su Yu with a thunderous roar. His most formidable technique had utterly failed against Su Yu; now, he had to rely on raw strength to suppress him! Su Yu threw a punch. With a dull thud, his sea of will violently shook, and blood once again trickled from his facial orifices. Seeing this, the Valley Lord finally let out a cold snort. For a moment, he had thought his own strength had declined; now it seemed the boy simply possessed an immunity to that specific trick! ... On the perimeter, four Soul Hooking Envoys lay dead. The powerhouses from Su Yu's heaven and earth struck out in all directions, locked in fierce combat with the remaining valley experts. As for the final envoy, the Human Soul Envoy, he was clearly on his last legs, despair etched across his face! Six great powerhouses were besieging him; he would soon be slain! Just as despair overtook him, an overwhelming power suddenly descended. Joy flashed across his eyes, and he offered no resistance. In an instant, a colossal surge of mental energy erupted from his body. *Boom!* A thunderous blast forced the six attackers back a step, King Wu bleeding from his facial orifices! The Human Soul Envoy's expression had changed, no longer reflecting despair, but a sinister chill. His voice had transformed as well: "Is Dead Spirit Hell trying to bully my dear brother?" "The Soul Lord!" Mingtu's face shifted slightly! The Lord of the Soul Domain had arrived. Reputedly, he possessed only thirty Daos of power, but for someone with thirty Daos to establish a forbidden land made him anything but ordinary! Though Mingtu wielded twenty-eight Daos and wasn't far behind in raw count, the gap between them was night and day! At this moment, the possessed Human Soul Envoy—or rather, the Soul Lord—looked around. Catching sight of the Valley Lord locked in combat with Su Yu, he chuckled. "My dear brother, I told you long ago not to be so meek... Now, any random nobody dares come attack you!" "Hahaha!" He laughed, sending a sonic shockwave sweeping through the surrounding area. *Rumble!* Many nearby combatants burst apart, friend and foe alike! On the perimeter, the six powerhouses exchanged glances, dread welling up in most of them. King Wu, however, despite having the lowest current cultivation, was someone who had battled Fa for years. With a cold snort, he threw a punch forward! *Boom!* Heaven and earth cracked! Though he held only twenty-five Daos of power, he unleashed combat strength far surpassing that level. With an icy glare, he barked, "Kill him! His physical body is only at this level—what are you afraid of, you bunch of useless cowards?" *Boom!* With King Wu taking the lead, the others unleashed their attacks in succession. The Human Soul Envoy's face shifted, followed by a cold sneer. *Boom!* A colossal detonation resounded! The Human Soul Envoy's body blew apart into fragments. Only in that final instant did his original expression return, screaming in despair, "No—!" *Rumble!* The explosion tore through the area. King Wu, charging at the very forefront, had his flesh shredded and his sea of will gravely wounded, blood spraying everywhere as he was sent flying. The Soul Lord had forcibly detonated the Human Soul Envoy! Coughing blood continuously, his body torn, King Wu bared his teeth in a wild grin. "I love this!" It had been a long time since he had felt this thrill of walking the razor's edge between life and death! His eyes flickered, and in the next moment, he bellowed, "Get lost!" *Boom!* An overwhelmingly powerful force of will erupted. With a dull thud, an illusory silhouette emerged and vanished instantly, muttering in surprise, "What potent willpower... It feels even stronger than thirty Daos... Remarkable!" That was the Soul Lord's voice, tinged with astonishment. King Wu shouted coldly, "Guard your wills! Do not let him seize your minds!" The others braced their minds in alarm! Without looking back, King Wu roared, "Don't worry about us! He's just at thirty Daos! Slay that fellow over there; we'll kill this one!" ... In the distance, Su Yu had indeed been momentarily distracted. Though this newcomer possessed only thirty Daos, Su Yu had sensed his terrifying nature the moment he appeared: possession! Manipulation! Such adversaries were the most troublesome to deal with—formless, colorless, lacking a physical tether, existing purely as an intangible will capable of seizing anyone's body at any time. And the price of Su Yu's distraction was a direct blow from the Valley Lord's inkstone against his physical form, blowing open one of his acupoints. To lose focus while battling an opponent of this caliber was a cardinal taboo! Yet Su Yu had had no choice. King Wu roared again, "In this life, I have fought tens of millions of battles! What kind of enemy haven't I faced? Focus on your kill! A mere thirty Daos—watch me slaughter him!" He lacked his former cultivation, yes, but his experience, insights, and vision remained intact! He was King Wu! Having fought his entire life, he couldn't help but curse, "If it were Old Second Wen, he would never doubt me, dammit!" Su Yu didn't trust him! If King Wen were here, he would never have doubted King Wu's capability. *I can do it! I am the King of the Martial Path!* Su Yu felt like cursing too. *Have you forgotten you only have twenty-five Daos of power right now? If you get killed right after following me, King Wen will probably skin me alive!* Just as these thoughts crossed Su Yu's mind, Envoy Asura's expression warped drastically! King Wu's eyes flashed. In the next instant, he let out a thunderous roar, and his physical body seemed to decouple as he executed a grapple! "Capture!" *Boom!* His hands shot forward and seized Envoy Asura, snapping Asura's arm with a loud crack! The next moment, the look in Asura's eyes shifted back to normal, and he cursed in fury, "Bastard, you're trying to kill me..." He had regained himself! Then a faint, eerie chuckle arose elsewhere: "I'm over here!" Among the four Great Emperors, one suddenly blanched. The other three grew fraught with anxiety, eyeing King Wu warily, terrified he might act recklessly and strike their comrade down! Seeing this, King Wu frowned slightly. The next instant, his aura transformed completely as he barked with majestic authority, "From this moment forth, obey my command!" A towering majesty enveloped the area! The others were about to voice their objections when they caught sight of his eyes. An involuntary chill ran down their spines, leaving them unable to utter a single word of defiance! That was the murderous aura of someone who had slaughtered tens of millions; that was the commanding tyranny of a general who had led armies across tens of thousands of years! This suffocating bloodlust shook heaven and earth! With a muffled boom, an illusory silhouette was forced out by the shockwave of killing intent. Emerging for an instant, it spoke with a solemn tone: "Fascinating... You are no ordinary man..." Who was this? He was definitely no common cultivator! Twenty-five Daos? No, his raw cultivation might be at twenty-five Daos, but his aura certainly was not! This man was undeniably a towering figure of an era, bearing a majesty not a shred inferior to the lord of a forbidden land! King Wu had used his sheer killing aura to force the phantom to manifest. Earlier, he had claimed that if this fellow appeared, he would handle him, but Su Yu hadn't believed him. Yet King Wu had meant every word! When the Lord of Dead Spirits had spoken of this earlier, King Wu had been right beside them. He naturally knew the Valley Lord had a formidable brother, and he knew all about his descending and possessing arts. King Wu's objective was simple: force the entity to descend into his own sea of will and attempt to possess him! He would duel this fiend with sheer willpower! The strength of this pair of brothers lay not in physical prowess, but in their formidable wills! At this moment, King Wu barked, "Four Great Emperors, integrate your Daos into the heaven and earth! Unify your Daos and empty your minds! Asura, you as well—merge your spirit and Dao into one! Everyone else, do the same!" In an instant, Envoy Asura and the others complied with his instructions, emptying their senses! When the illusory figure attempted to possess someone again, it collided head-on with Su Yu's heaven and earth with a deafening crash, repelled outward. The Soul Lord said in deep astonishment, "The power of a heaven and earth?" These people belonged to a single heaven and earth! Possessing them was tantamount to possessing Su Yu himself, rendering it entirely futile—and instead rebounding against him! The next moment, the phantom vanished, and one of the four Great Emperors roared in agony. The power of the Lord of Dead Spirits' world rushed toward them from afar, but it was too late! King Wu shouted again, "The distance is too great; transfer is too slow! If you don't want to die, change heavens!" Emperor Mingtu felt like cursing! Yet it was true—the Dead Spirit Heaven was simply too far away. Otherwise, the enemy wouldn't have found an opening. Seeing the Western Emperor contorted in pain and showing signs of self-detonating, Mingtu roared, "Integrate Daos!" *Boom!* Four Great Daos snapped away from their origin in an instant, plunging into Su Yu's heaven and earth! Mingtu comforted himself: *We're all on the same side anyway! Whatever happens, happens!* Right at that moment, an enraged roar echoed from the distant horizon: "Bastards!" It was the furious bellow of the Lord of Dead Spirits! *You scoundrels! What the hell are you doing? Who gave you permission to sever ties with my world and merge into Su Yu's?* *Damn it all!* Without a second heaven and earth available, severing their connection would mean certain death. But right now, another heaven existed—and was more than willing to accept them! *Damn it!* The Lord of Dead Spirits was ready to explode with rage. He had only lent them to Su Yu for a month, not gifted them away! Why on earth would he give four powerhouses above twenty-five Daos to Su Yu? *You bunch of idiots, who told you to switch heavens?* The Lord of Dead Spirits was consumed by fury! Yet he still had to fulfill his promise to intercept the other forbidden land lords from teleporting over. For the moment, he could not intervene; he could only vent his burning rage on everyone else! *My Four Directional Great Emperors are gone! This wretched brat Su Yu—it must have been deliberate! Outrageous! I spent so many years building my foundation here, and the moment I lend out the Four Great Emperors, they're gone!* At this moment, the Lord of Dead Spirits' anger erupted without restraint! Whoever approached, he would butcher them! "Come at me! I'll slaughter the lot of you!" *Roar!* Boundless death qi engulfed the sky. *Come on! I've got plenty of fire to burn!*